


Sturdy Branches

by ShadowoftheLamp



Series: Adventures in Parenthood [6]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Gen, POV Second Person, Zadr Fanchild, fanchild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 11:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25469875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowoftheLamp/pseuds/ShadowoftheLamp
Summary: Twix decides to spy on her new friend.
Series: Adventures in Parenthood [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1532000
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	Sturdy Branches

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't tag ZaDr as a ship because they're not in this, but Twix is their daughter and makes references to them. I figured I should throw this over here to give people reading TD that aren't on tumblr a bit of a better idea of what she's like outside of the past.

Your name is Twix Membrane, and you’re glad that the Bennetts have an elm tree across the street. It’s not really _their_ elm, it belongs to the old lady in 304, but it’s within good viewing distance of their front porch and the window that allows you to see into the living room. 

The branches are sturdy, at least. You’d prefer an oak, but you’re a pretty skinny kid, and besides, at least it isn’t a dead ash or something. You’ve securely looped your backpack straps through a fork in the branch, so it’s resting in a secure position, and you’ve got one hand on the branch you’re sitting on and the other holding up the binoculars.

Tulip has a Girly Ranger meeting after skool, so she should be getting home soon. Dad doesn’t care what you do now that you’re old enough to walk to and from skool, as long as you come home safe by five. Papa just asked if you needed any snacks. They know you can handle yourself, and besides, Tulip’s house is only a fifteen-minute walk and you’ve got a phone for emergencies. 

Her dad is either singing or talking to himself as he vacuumed inside the house with a sway in his hips. At least you’re pretty sure it’s her dad? You haven’t seen a picture of him or anything, but he’s about the same age as _your_ dad, so he’s too old to be a brother and too young to be a grandpa, and she hasn’t mentioned any uncles. A babysitter, maybe, but that doesn’t really make sense since Tulip isn’t home yet- ah! 

She’s talking to someone as she turns the corner, bouncing her backpack. It’s lilac and circular, as well as covered in buttons. The Ranger helmet is in her backpack or still in her locker, but either way, she’s not wearing it anymore. She’s got the boots on, though. You adjust the binoculars a bit, but you aren’t good enough at lip-reading yet to tell what she’s saying. Whatever it is, it’s making the girl she’s talking to laugh. Maybe she’ll tell you tomorrow in class or at lunch if you pull her to sit at your table again. She has more friends at the middle table, but they don’t like sitting next to _you_ after the beetle incident, and she doesn’t seem to mind. She always has a big smile when you start talking, and she’d say something if she didn’t like you, right? Pretty much everybody else does.

You were lost in thought just long enough for her to split with the other girl, walking up the driveway to her house and disappearing through the front door. Good, so you _did_ get the right address from that one envelope she threw in the trash. It would have been kind of awkward to have been just spying on some random dude. She set her backpack down at the bottom of the stairs and her dad turned the vacuum off to scoop her up into a hug with a big smile. You can see where she gets all that bubbly energy from now, at least- he seems like a happy guy. She hopped up on the couch and started talking, and you shift in the tree.

You’re not _entirely_ sure why you’re here. To see what she’d be like in a non-skool setting, mostly. Dad said he used to spy on Papa a lot when he was your age, and it seemed like as good a way as any to learn more about her when she wasn’t surrounded by other people. Besides, this way you could figure out if there was anything she liked and then see if you could… do that. If it wasn’t annoying. Yeah. That made sense. 

Maybe you could even join the Rangers, although you didn’t much like the idea of wearing a dress. The boots looked neat, though, and you already wore some, although yours weren’t as armored. 

Her dad was looking out the window now. Your claws dug into the bark, forcing it against the skin, but he turned back away. He must have just seen something in the yard, since he started talking to Tulip again. She nodded, but she looked kind of… confused? You zoomed in again, but surprisingly, your lip-reading abilities haven’t increased in the past five minutes and he isn’t using sign. 

Mr. Bennett left the window, before opening the front door. “Trix!” He called out, staring directly at you. Tulip said something you couldn’t make out, and he corrected himself. “Twix, then!”

You blinked, slowly lowering the binoculars. “I’m not here!”

He laughed. “It’s okay, you can come down. Do you want to come in? I have some cookies in the oven. Do you have any allergies?”

“Yeah,” you said, but carefully unhooked your backpack before stuffing the binoculars in it. Throwing the backpack on, you shimmied down the tree. “I can try them, though, I’ve got an allergy pen.”

“Great!” He clapped his hands together, before taking a step back. “Tulip’s told me all about you.”

You crossed the street, and when you got close you realized he smelled like candy. “What kinds of things?”

“I wouldn’t be inviting you in if they weren’t good, would I?” He grinned, and you found yourself grinning back as you crossed the threshold. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos are appreciated!


End file.
